The map shows geography
Real locations on real tiles — good for sending a rider to the right headgate, or reviewing a pin a patron dropped in the field.
Hydraulic schematic
A hydraulic schematic for ditch companies
Loamio draws your whole ditch network as a clean, top-down tree — laterals, headgates, and turnouts — and lights up each turnout when water is running through it. It is the diagram your map can't be.
How it works
Your network, drawn as a tree.
The schematic starts from the main ditch and branches out — each lateral hangs off the ditch, and each headgate and turnout hangs off its lateral. You read it top to bottom, following the water. There is nothing to draw: Loamio builds the tree from the network you already keep, so a turnout you add to a lateral simply shows up in the right place.
Schematic vs. map
Topology, not geography.
The schematic and the map answer different questions, and Loamio gives you both. The map tells you where — the real-world spot of a headgate on satellite or terrain tiles. The schematic tells you how it all connects — the flow of water through the system, flattened into a tree. Two turnouts a mile apart on the map can sit right next to each other on the schematic if they share a lateral.
The schematic shows topology
How laterals, headgates, and turnouts connect — good for understanding the order of things down a ditch and who is downstream of whom.
They work together
Use the map to find a structure on the ground; use the schematic to see how water reaches it and what else is on the same line.
Active vs. idle
See where water is running.
Active turnoutHas a water order in progress right now — water is moving through it. Highlighted so you can spot live deliveries across the whole system.
Idle turnoutNo order in progress. Drawn quietly in the background so the active ones stand out. The view refreshes about every 30 seconds.
Why it helps
The picture a spreadsheet can't give you.
- See the system at a glance. Where is water running right now? The lit-up turnouts answer that without a single phone call.
- Understand who is downstream. The tree makes the order of turnouts along a lateral obvious — useful when you are managing a shortage or a shutoff.
- Nothing to maintain. The schematic is built from your existing network. Add a turnout and it appears; you never redraw a diagram by hand.
- Read-only in the field. Riders can open the schematic to check active turnouts without any risk of changing the network.
Questions
The schematic, answered.
What is the hydraulic schematic in Loamio?
It is a top-down diagram of your ditch network drawn as a tree — laterals branch from the main ditch, and headgates and turnouts hang off the laterals. It shows how water flows through the system, and each turnout lights up when it has a water order in progress.
How is the schematic different from the map?
The map shows geography — real-world locations on satellite or terrain tiles. The schematic shows topology — how the pieces connect, flattened into a clean tree. Two turnouts miles apart on the map can sit side by side on the schematic if they share a lateral. They answer different questions and work together.
What does it mean for a turnout to be active?
A turnout is active when it has a water order in progress right now — water is actually moving through it. Idle turnouts are drawn quietly; active ones are highlighted, so you can see where water is running across the whole system. The view refreshes about every 30 seconds.
Who can see the schematic?
Admins, managers, and ditch riders can open the schematic, and it is read-only for everyone. Riders can check which turnouts are active from the field. Patrons do not see the schematic.
Do I have to draw the schematic myself?
No. Loamio builds the schematic automatically from the network you already have — the laterals, headgates, and turnouts in your district. Add a turnout to a lateral and it appears on the tree. There is no separate diagram to maintain.
Related: Drought curtailment · Delivery efficiency benchmarks · The whole system, simple to run
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